1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a practical and innovating sample collector for biopsies in the medical field. More specifically, the present invention relates to a sample collector for diagnostic medicine for improving its usage and performance in relation to other models usually found in the market.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The diagnostic medicines are an area of medical sciences which has vital importance in a large number of different pathologies. One of the most important of which for physicians and patients are the neoplasies, known as cancer.
The characteristic of cancer is the disarranged multiplication of cells, which lose their growth control and no longer respect the tissue structures.
Later, when cells get into the blood circulation, through vessels and arteries and mainly into the lymphatic circulation, cancer is spread out to other organs. This phase of the disease is known as metastasis, and leads to the organs' failure which may cause death.
The diagnosis of this kind of pathology has always been a challenge to medicine. The appearance of computerized tomography and image exams made the advancement in treatment of cancer remarkable. However, there is a diagnosis resource even more indispensable than those exams: the biopsies.
Biopsy is a clinical exam procedure which consists of the removal and pathological evaluation of tissue samples, as small fragments of a live body. They are extremely important to enable the physician to establish a diagnosis and observe the treatment evolution. They are used not only for diagnosis of neoplasies, but also in monitoring cases of transplanted organs, suspicion of insufficiency of operation of organs and tissues, and for following up medicinal treatments, among others.
Currently, there are two kinds of biopsies: cytological biopsies and histological biopsies. The cytological biopsy is an aspirating puncture carried out through the use of a thin-sized needle. It is a positive procedure usually guided by ultra-sonography, for aspiring cysts or the content of nodes or tumors. The histological biopsy consists of a percutaneous procedure in which, through a system of coaxial needles, a small sample of tissue is collected where the injury is located. The advantage of histological biopsy over the cytological one is that, by obtaining a sample of removed material instead of a sample of aspirated material, groups of complete cells are obtained instead of insulated cells. In addition to that, the collected material is highly concentrated and not diluted by fluids of tissues and blood, as in an aspirated biopsy. This material eases the microscopic examination, rendering the histological biopsy more reliable.
The histological biopsy uses a biopsy sample collector or grips which comprise a body, to protect the needles and aid its handling. The biopsy sample collector or grips serve as a guide to slide the stem and the collecting needle. The needles and the stems used in the procedure are disposable and intended for a single use, in order to assure the proof of efficiency, sterility and uncontestable safety against any kind of accidental inoculation. There are two main types of instrument grips: the disposable and non-disposable ones.
Among the disposable models are the needles with a semi-automatic guillotine-cutter, which are simpler instruments in construction since they include a grip in which the needle itself is already coupled. The model commonly used includes disposable grips, which follow the same principle of needles having a semi-automatic guillotine-cutter.
The non-disposable models are similar to the grips of disposable ones; however, they are produced from resistant and sterilizable material, which allows the grip to be repeatedly used after the sterilization by heating or by gas.
It is well known that accuracy and quickness are required from medical people, especially in the surgical area. In order to help to comply with these requirements, there is the advent of surgical materials, such as the grips for collection of biopsy samples previously mentioned. However the current equipment is deficient, which ends up hindering the surgeon's work even more when carrying out the biopsy.
The disposable models are practical and are more cost-effective than other equipment. However, they do not provide the surgeon with the accuracy necessary for the procedure. These are more often used in case of injury to tissues closer to tegumentar tissue.
The non-disposable grips are more reliable owing to the needle's coaxial sliding system. However, the equipment is more expensive, in spite of being reused after sterilization. There is a great number of different needles in the market, with different sizes and lengths, adapted to the organ from where the sample will be collected. There is also a diversity manufacturers of these needles and grips. The main problem with these models is the fact that the grips are not adaptable to the different types of needles, and the physician needs to have a compatible model for each type of needle, including size and length, in order to use them effectively.
In addition to this inconvenience, there is also a deficiency in the drive system of the control knob for the devices that currently exist in the market. Owing to the complexity of the system, it becomes difficult for the physician to properly perform the procedure. As those qualified in the surgical area are aware, the collection of biopsy samples is a procedure which requires much attention and accuracy from the surgeon, since the areas to be explored may be extremely small. The least deviation in the process and the diagnosis is compromised. In the current systems, the trigging drive and positioning system, which includes a spring system, is complicated and makes the procedure difficult and leads to a higher risk of failure when collecting the tissue.